Happy 9-year anniversary to Lionel Messi's greatest goal

BARCELONA, SPAIN - APRIL 18: Leo Messi's first goal during the match between FC Barcelona and Getafe, of Copa del Rey, on April 18, 2007, played at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Bagu Blanco/Getty Images).

Lionel Messi has an innate and unrivaled ability to leave you dumbstruck.

The 28-year-old has scored his fair share of goals throughout his career, 500 for club and country, to be exact, a milestone he reached in Sunday's 2-1 La Liga defeat to Valencia, but none arguably come within a whisker of this unforgettable, twisting run.

On this day 9 years ago (!), a 19-year-old Messi (and that hair!) re-enacted, almost second by second, touch by dazzling touch, Maradona's legendary, solo run for Argentina against England in the 1986 World Cup.

Granted, comparing nearly indistinguishable goals when considering the opposition - Messi and Barcelona encountered Getafe in the Copa del Rey semifinals at the Camp Nou, while Maradona and Argentina crushed England's hopes at the hallowed Estadio Azteca - is far from comparing apples to apples. But both covered nearly the same route, ran for just about the same amount of time and beat five and six defenders, respectively, en route to goal.

From those mesmerizing, weaving runs, leaving helpless defenders in his wake to bewitching free kicks from just about anywhere on the pitch, commentators, pundits and journalists alike often find themselves foraging for superlatives when, most of the time, there simply are none good enough to describe what they've just witnessed from 'The Flea.'